No more snow days: NYC students to learn remotely instead of canceling class for severe weather

NEW YORK (WPIX) — Say it ain’t snow! New York City students will not get snow days in the next academic year, the Department of Education announced Tuesday.

Instead of canceling classes for severe weather events in the 2021-22 academic year, students will pivot to remote learning, according to the DOE.

The announcement was made along with several other calendar changes for the next academic year, which will start on Sept. 13.

A spokesperson for the Education Department said the agency aims to have all students return to full-time in-person learning by the start of the next academic year.

“We know nothing replaces in-person instruction, and we currently have more students learning in our schools than any other city or system. Our goal for the fall is to have all of our children safely return to full-time in-person learning on Sept. 13, and we look forward to sharing more information over the spring and summer,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

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The DOE is also planning to hold a remote, asynchronous instructional day for all students and a professional development day for teachers on Election Day, which falls on Nov. 2. However, the DOE noted the decision could change pending guidance from the state Education Department.

Two new “non-attendance” days were also added to the school calendar for the 2021-22 academic year.

Students will not have class on Oct. 11 in observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day as well as on June 20, 2022 in observance of Juneteenth. Juneteenth lands on a Sunday next year, so schools would observe the holiday the following Monday, June 20, 2022.